


The Last Howl

by ProngsPotter22



Category: Original Work
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Animal Death, Gen, Hunters & Hunting, Implied/Referenced Character Death, POV Animal, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 19:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6720565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProngsPotter22/pseuds/ProngsPotter22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As I ran through the trees a hollow, empty feeling entered my chest. I should have known that the cruelty of humanity wasn’t going to change just like that. But that girl…a warm feeling tricked in amongst the darkness. That girl gave me hope. Maybe, just maybe not all was lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Howl

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was written for a school assignment but I really liked it and think it holds a very important message. Therefore, I decided to post it here. Hope you all like it :)

Howling; the word alone defines my kind. To howl is a sign of pride and belonging to a pack; a family. Wolves howl to call others, to warn strangers away or just because the action alone fills us with a sense of belonging, a sense of identity, a sense of serenity. I can’t remember the last time I howled. I can’t remember the last time I felt the satisfying thrill of howling into the night with my brothers and sisters, singing our song of unity to the moon.

 

The frostbitten leaves crackled and crunched beneath my pure-white paws as I slunk through the trees. My grey fur, turned silver by the comforting light of the moon, clung dully to my sides. My white paws, soaked by snow melt, shook in a fierce battle to hold my weight. The white of my belly, chest, muzzle and tail-tip blended with the world around me. Winter had reached the forest a full moon ago. It used to be my favourite time of year. I was invisible to the world, prey seeing not a wolf but merely a harmless boulder nestled amongst the snow. I was the best hunter in my pack during the cold season. Then I had a purpose, a duty to my family. I was the one who would bring home food when the others dark pelts stood out against the light landscape. My pack had needed me then. Now I despised the icy winds and scarcity of prey. Hunting is a tricky act to pull off on your own and the lack of deer and rabbits just made it harder for me.

 

I blinked my sky blue eyes, the eyes I had once shared with my mother and youngest sister, shut against the harsh blizzard around me. I knew hunting was pointless now. No animal in his or her right mind would be wondering the forest in this whiteout. Shoulders sagging in defeat I squinted against the chilly blast of air in search of a place to wait out the storm. I was going to bed hungry tonight. Finally I spotted a small cleft in a wall of stone. Racing against the wind, I bolted for salvation.

 

Crawling pitifully into the small space I sighed in relief at the reprieve from the elements. Settling down with my nose burrowed under my tail I couldn’t prevent the memories of a day similar to this from creeping their way forward.

 

It had been a day just like this, four seasons ago, that it happened. Wolves were no strangers to injustice and persecution. We know we are the most hated animals in the forest. My family and I had been traveling to a new den since ours had been caved in. We had only made it up the hill from the ravine where our old home lay when they attacked. Hunters swarmed over the rise like serpents, guns blazing. Before I could even register what was happening my pack had scattered like startled rabbits. Dashing back towards the cave, leaping up the rocky slopes behind us, sprinting towards the hunters in the hope that the shock would be enough to allow them safe passage. It wasn’t long before the carnage started. Gunfire rang through the clearing like thunder. The awful sound quickly mixing with the howls of terror and pain. Amidst the chaos I stood, paws turned to stone. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. And then a desperate plea rose above the mayhem. A howl so familiar, so calming that despite the horror around me I felt all the tension leave me. Little did I know at the time that it would be the last time I ever heard my mother howl. “Haru…”

 

I whimpered. Haru, my old name. I swore to myself I would never use that name again. It was what I had been called my whole life, the name given to me by my mother. In our language Haru meant ‘howl’. My mother had given me that name because ever since I was a young pup I had adored the liberation of howling. Now, as a lone wolf, I never howl and I know I will never howl again. What was the point when there would never be an answer? My father’s deep, rumbling howl, my mother’s sweet melody, my sisters’ cheery tunes and my brothers’ cheeky calls. They were all gone, forever silenced by the cruel hands of humanity….

 

Silence. That was what my new name meant. Silentium. I wasn’t sure where the name came from. It was certainly no language spoken by my kind. I had heard the word spoken by my father though, ever since I was a little pup. Silentium, what the lone wolf was forced into. It was considered the ultimate shame, a sign of disgrace. A wolf without a pack didn’t deserve to howl. It suited me. I couldn’t help my pack. I deserved silentium. Therefore, the name seemed fitting.

 

No matter how hard I tried the memories kept playing inside my head. A vicious cycle of anguish. I remember trying to find my mother amongst the bodies of the fallen. My brave brothers, my sweet sisters, gone. I never did find her but I know she’s gone. We hadn’t stood a chance that day. The fight had been over before it even started. I was alone with the all-consuming grief, asking myself why? Why had they done this? Why was humanity so determined to destroy use? Why, why why?

 

I did learn one thing that day though. I would never trust a human. They were the true monsters. Curling up into a tight ball of fur a closed my eyes. I would need the sleep for tomorrow. However, just as the blissful coming of sleep was about to drag me under, a blood-curdling scream rattled the forest.

 

I was on my paws in seconds, my exhaustion and hunger momentarily forgotten. Flying into the clearing I scanned the tree line. What was that sound?

 

Seconds ticked by without a sound. Perhaps I imagined it? I turned to leave when it happened again. A drawn-out keening cry. A bone-deep shiver crept along my back, like icy claws scraping down my spine.

 

The sound didn’t belong to a wolf nor did it belong to any forest animal I knew. What was it?

 

The wails continued as I tried to decide what to do. Sometimes foreign words would slip in amongst the nt. I knew I shouldn’t stay here. My parents always told me that curiosity could be ones downfall. However, I just had to know what was going on. Without a further thought of protest I was darting into the bushes.

 

The closer I got the more and more certain I became that checking out the source of the eerie sound was the right thing to do. It became alarmingly clear that the sounds belonged to a child. It didn’t matter what animal it was, a child should always be protected. Speeding up I flew over the rise until I reached the gorge.

 

I yelped in fright as I just managed to skid to a halt at the very edge of the deadly drop. Quaking in shock at the lucky escape I gazed down into the canyon. Spiky rocks, taunting me like the sharp teeth of a menacing beast, poked out from the churning river below. The steep walls of the gorge had been smoothed out by years of water exposure to the elements. There were only a few potential paw holds scattered about, too far apart to be of any use.

 

Tearing my gaze away from the terrifying sight I tried to locate the source of the noise. I hadn’t realized till now that the cries had stopped. Straining my ears to pick up even the smallest sounds, I stood as stiff as stone. The child had to be he-ahah! There!

 

Bolting across the thin strip of grass I finally caught sight of the noise.

 

A little human pup, only a few years old by the looks of it, was sprawled on a ledge just a small way down into the gorge. The pup was sobbing, too scared to move. To me it looked just like any other human. Pinkie-white skin with a tuft of light brown fur on its head. Judging by the longer fur and the higher-pitched voice I was almost positive that the pup was female. I stared down at her, not sure what to do. Humans were destructive animals; cold, heartless. However, they protected their young just like most other animals.

It was all the more reason that I should leave. The little ones parents would come searching for her soon. If they saw me here….

 

The pup suddenly looked up. Big, leaf-green eyes gazed dazedly up towards me. Before I could even think of ducking down or bolting back to the safety of the trees she spotted me. Sky-blue met emerald green. I froze, waiting for the reaction my kind always received. I expected the little one to scream or cry. Maybe she would even start hurling rocks at me. Instead she did something I had never seen a human do. She smiled, albeit teary-eyed, up at me and reached out with a forepaw towards me. She made to move towards me but cried out in obvious pain. Blinking, I scrambled forward to see what was wrong. It didn’t take me long to spot the problem, a broken back leg.

 

The little girl was openly wailing again. Her forelegs swung around wildly in distress. I started to feel panic well up in my chest. What could I do? She was too far down for me to reach safely. Even so I doubt I would be able to haul her up even if I could reach her. Perhaps I should find some other humans? Maybe I could…..?

 

Crack!

 

The ledge the pup was on was breaking fast. The pup’s wailing was growing louder. Crack! Crack! Crack! I didn’t even think as the jutting piece of stone started to dip, threatening to plunge the girl to her death. I lunged over the edge of the cliff face. Claws scratching across stone as I clung desperately to the sides. Finally I pushed off the wall and flew towards a larger ledge just below the girl.

 

Screeeeeeek. The ledge above started to groan loudly, struggling desperately to stray on the wall to no avail. Finally with one loud boom the rock tumbled off the cliff side. The pup shrieked in terror as the stone gave out below her.

 

With the strength of a mighty lion I leapt forward and just in the nick of time managed to snag the girls strange lose fur between my jaws. I dug my claws into a grove in the rock and clung on with all my strength, the pup swinging dangerously over the edge of the ledge. Time seemed to slow down as I gazed in terror over the side. I was overbalancing. If I lost my footing both of us would be plunged down the gorge. If I let go….

 

Another cry, sounding almost like a howl, rose from the young child. Growling in frustration and pain I used the last of my strength to make an almighty heave and finally I managed to pull the girl up and over the ledge.

 

Both of us collapsed to the ground, shaking in the remnants of terror, exhaustion and relief. I closed my eyes; quite happy at the moment to forget the danger we were still in and fall asleep. I was just drifting off when I little paw touched my shoulder. Flinching, I snapped my eyes open to see the little girl staring down at me. She gave a huge grin, babbled some words I had no hope of understanding, and flung herself at me, snuggling close with her face burrowed in my fur. I stared in astonishment at the pup. To think, a human was hugging a wolf. It was absurd, unnatural, completely against the laws of nature.

 

However, I couldn’t bring myself to care. Wrapping my tail around the girl, just like a mother wolf would do with her pups, I closed my eyes and finally drifted off.

 

…..

 

I blinked my eyes open to a bright ray of sunlight and the gentle hum of the flowing river below. It was still freezing cold but the sun did offer some relief. I glanced down to see the child just starting to wake.

It was then that I noticed another sound. It was humans. Ears perked to listen to where they are, I crouched down and gently nudging the human pup to encourage her to wake up as I scrambled to my paws.

 

I had to get her back to her family and I was positive just judging by the desperate tone of the humans’ hollering’s that this was them. I glanced up the gorge wall and was relieved to notice a couple paw holds. It wouldn’t be an easy climb but I could do it.

 

The girl seemed to understand what I was getting at since she crawled over, shooting wary looks at the edge, and finally clambered onto my back. Once I was positive that she wouldn’t tumble off, I flung myself at the wall.

 

The climb was brutal. Trying to haul yourself and another up a vertical wall was extremely painful and tyring. I was almost certain I was going to tear out a claw or two. Still, we finally made it. After a couple of minutes rest to catch my breath I dragged myself to my shaky and aching paws before perking my ears. I could hear the humans headed this way. Deciding to wait I sat back down.

 

The girl seemed confused but reluctant to leave the only friend she had here so she sat down as well. Two minutes passed until the girl perked up, clearly hearing the calls from her kin as well. We waited another two minutes; the girl, bubbly and anxiously excited and me, stoic and cautious.

 

Finally four humans, all male, burst through the undergrowth. Two had strange blue and black furs. One was a dark, moss green and the last had a yellow and white pelt. The girl ran straight to the last one, crying in delight. The man had crouched down and welcomed the girl with a hug. I wagged my tail happily at the sight. However, my happiness evaporated quickly at the sound of that all too familiar click. I turned and saw the other tree humans with those deadly black sticks pointed right at me. I faltered in alarm. What are they doing? I saved the girl and now they want to kill me?

 

They were about to finish me when the little girl ran forward, shouting something I couldn’t understand at the men. I watched, hoping the men would listen but one look at their faces and I knew it was no use. I dashed for the trees, the all too familiar bang, bang, bangs following.

 

As I ran through the trees a hollow, empty feeling entered my chest. I should have known that the cruelty of humanity wasn’t going to change just like that. But that girl…a warm feeling tricked in amongst the darkness. That girl gave me hope. Maybe, just maybe not all was lost.

 

I had sworn, with the death of my pack that I would never howl again. However, as the moon just began to rise I decided that the girl who could offer me the first sign of hope for a better future deserved to hear me sing my song one last time.

 

As I reached the top of the hill, gazing down at the tiny clearing where the girl and the humans were preparing to leave I can see her bright, green eyes gazing up at me. And so I tossed my head back and gave my last howl.


End file.
